We used to love The Spirit Room. We used to go 3-4 times a year and have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and other events there. Sadly, this place has really gone down hill and our last two visits have been terrible experiences. In November 2023, we went for cocktails and dinner. They messed up our drink orders twice and were pretty rude when we asked for the correct drinks (sorry, I'm not paying $14 for a drink I didn't order that contains ingredients that I don't like). The two people working were busy talking with each other and acted like it was such a hassle to serve us. We ended up leaving and had excellent cocktails and food at the Daily Refresher.We went again last night to support my friends band, who went on at 8pm. We decided to go early (arrived around 7pm) to grab dinner before the show. For drinks, I ordered the Planchette, which was always my go-to cocktail there, but this time, it was completely undrinkable (sour and flat). I let two of my friends taste it, they both said it tasted "watered-down". I sent it back and had a beer instead. My friends ordered a Lily Dale and a Kellman; neither of them were happy with their drinks and also switched to beer. I tasted my friends Lily Dale (which was always my 2nd favorite drink there), and it was not good.For food, my husband ordered the shrimp and grits. It took about 20 minutes to come out. The grits were cold, and so he only ate a little of it (he wanted to send it back, but there was a huge line at the bar). I ordered the chicken sandwich with fries. Mine came out about 20 minutes after my hubby was served (he was done eating by the time mine arrived). When they delivered it, they informed me that they are out of fries and asked if I wanted kettle chips instead. I said yes. He left and came back a few minutes later and said that they are also out of chips. They should have told me this sooner. Had I known that I was just going to get a chicken sandwich without a side, I would have ordered something else. The sandwich was mediocre-- very little coleslaw and sauce, and so it was dry. So, I paid $19 for just a sandwich, which is a total ripoff. They should not be charging full price for incomplete orders. Ultimately, we paid $53 (+ $10 tip, which they didn't deserve) for terrible service, cold shrimp and grits, one sandwich, and four cans of Genny, and we left hungry.Once the novelty of the kitschy decor and themed-cocktails wears off, this place has nothing to offer.
Atmosphere: 4
Jenny
Aesthetically, probably the coolest bar in Rochester. Plus the employees are great. And sometimes if you’re lucky you’ll see this one older guy there who plays the piano, he’s really impressive.I love their drink the Hydesville Haunt. The shrimp & grits is always very good too. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp & Grits
Brennan B
Awesome place with a devilishly friendly atmosphere. Get the chicken sandwich, so good it feels like a sin. If you want spirit, they’ve got a whole room!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Francis Bacon (frabacon)
Spirit Room!Parking: Multiple lots and a parking garage nearby (within 2 blocks)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spirit
Izzy T.
Really cool place with a great bartender. I loved the drink I got and it came in a neat little teacup. I didn't try any of the food, but the menu offered mocktails, which is always a huge plus for me as someone who drinks infrequently. I sat in a lovely corner and admired the decorations, books, and the interesting cocktails on the menu. Only downside was that it was quite drafty and I wish I didn't have to wear a coat while inside. I visited in January, though, so I doubt that it's always cold in there - it just happened to be 15 degrees outside, so whenever someone opened the door, it came all the way through the bar.
Dan Scannell
Awesome atmosphere. Great little
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Melanie A.
Great vibes, food, and service. I always come here when I'm back in Rochester.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
liz partridge
Resurrectionist is my fave drink. All the food is great and it’s my favorite place in town!
I was recently in Rochester for business and frequented. Excellent service, very unique drink menu and a super cool museum of oddities. Definitely suggest a visit here if you are ever in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mocktails
JFlight
Great people working and running the place - truly passionate about the bar establishment, all the antiquities within and also the food. This is a great - low stress environment that is really nice to sit back and relax - especially if you score one of the comfy chairs/benches.
The owner/bartender is super friendly and is full of all kinds of super interesting trivia! Recommend trying the “feeling lucky” drink where he makes a drink based on your tarot/spirit reading.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Jose Hipps
Cool little spot to go check out. All kinds of stuff to look at. Great food wonderful service as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Corey Simonetta
This bar is outstanding. It has great cocktails, amazing atmosphere, the owner is always there and is a good time. They had a rockabilly band one night, karaoke the next. Anytime I'm in Rochester, I'll be heading to this bar.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Diayell Moore
I went here tonight because I heard great things unfortunately when we (my husband and I) entered no one acknowledged us at all we just kind of stood there we then begin to look around for somewhere to sit someone sitting at the bar turned to us and handed us a menu saying here you want to look at the menu for a drink I'm not sure if she was a worker or just a customer trying to be helpful It was very unwelcoming we will not step foot in there again
Allison S
Spooky and cute. Fringe events are in separate room, not in the bar like we expected.Parking: They say free parking lot in the back but it's a paid lot.
We used to love The Spirit Room. We used to go 3-4 times a year and have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and other events there. Sadly, this place has really gone down hill and our last two visits have been terrible experiences. In November 2023, we went for cocktails and dinner. They messed up our drink orders twice and were pretty rude when we asked for the correct drinks (sorry, I'm not paying $14 for a drink I didn't order that contains ingredients that I don't like). The two people working were busy talking with each other and acted like it was such a hassle to serve us. We ended up leaving and had excellent cocktails and food at the Daily Refresher.We went again last night to support my friends band, who went on at 8pm. We decided to go early (arrived around 7pm) to grab dinner before the show. For drinks, I ordered the Planchette, which was always my go-to cocktail there, but this time, it was completely undrinkable (sour and flat). I let two of my friends taste it, they both said it tasted "watered-down". I sent it back and had a beer instead. My friends ordered a Lily Dale and a Kellman; neither of them were happy with their drinks and also switched to beer. I tasted my friends Lily Dale (which was always my 2nd favorite drink there), and it was not good.For food, my husband ordered the shrimp and grits. It took about 20 minutes to come out. The grits were cold, and so he only ate a little of it (he wanted to send it back, but there was a huge line at the bar). I ordered the chicken sandwich with fries. Mine came out about 20 minutes after my hubby was served (he was done eating by the time mine arrived). When they delivered it, they informed me that they are out of fries and asked if I wanted kettle chips instead. I said yes. He left and came back a few minutes later and said that they are also out of chips. They should have told me this sooner. Had I known that I was just going to get a chicken sandwich without a side, I would have ordered something else. The sandwich was mediocre-- very little coleslaw and sauce, and so it was dry. So, I paid $19 for just a sandwich, which is a total ripoff. They should not be charging full price for incomplete orders. Ultimately, we paid $53 (+ $10 tip, which they didn't deserve) for terrible service, cold shrimp and grits, one sandwich, and four cans of Genny, and we left hungry.Once the novelty of the kitschy decor and themed-cocktails wears off, this place has nothing to offer.
Atmosphere: 4
Aesthetically, probably the coolest bar in Rochester. Plus the employees are great. And sometimes if you’re lucky you’ll see this one older guy there who plays the piano, he’s really impressive.I love their drink the Hydesville Haunt. The shrimp & grits is always very good too. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp & Grits
Awesome place with a devilishly friendly atmosphere. Get the chicken sandwich, so good it feels like a sin. If you want spirit, they’ve got a whole room!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spirit Room!Parking: Multiple lots and a parking garage nearby (within 2 blocks)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spirit
Really cool place with a great bartender. I loved the drink I got and it came in a neat little teacup. I didn't try any of the food, but the menu offered mocktails, which is always a huge plus for me as someone who drinks infrequently. I sat in a lovely corner and admired the decorations, books, and the interesting cocktails on the menu. Only downside was that it was quite drafty and I wish I didn't have to wear a coat while inside. I visited in January, though, so I doubt that it's always cold in there - it just happened to be 15 degrees outside, so whenever someone opened the door, it came all the way through the bar.
Awesome atmosphere. Great little
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great vibes, food, and service. I always come here when I'm back in Rochester.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Resurrectionist is my fave drink. All the food is great and it’s my favorite place in town!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tacos, Pork Tacos, Shrimp and Grits, Hell's Chicken Sandwich
I was recently in Rochester for business and frequented. Excellent service, very unique drink menu and a super cool museum of oddities. Definitely suggest a visit here if you are ever in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mocktails
Great people working and running the place - truly passionate about the bar establishment, all the antiquities within and also the food. This is a great - low stress environment that is really nice to sit back and relax - especially if you score one of the comfy chairs/benches.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tacos, Zapps Potato Chips, Mocktails, Pork Tacos, Hell's Chicken Sandwich
Restaurantji Recommends
The owner/bartender is super friendly and is full of all kinds of super interesting trivia! Recommend trying the “feeling lucky” drink where he makes a drink based on your tarot/spirit reading.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Cool little spot to go check out. All kinds of stuff to look at. Great food wonderful service as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This bar is outstanding. It has great cocktails, amazing atmosphere, the owner is always there and is a good time. They had a rockabilly band one night, karaoke the next. Anytime I'm in Rochester, I'll be heading to this bar.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I went here tonight because I heard great things unfortunately when we (my husband and I) entered no one acknowledged us at all we just kind of stood there we then begin to look around for somewhere to sit someone sitting at the bar turned to us and handed us a menu saying here you want to look at the menu for a drink I'm not sure if she was a worker or just a customer trying to be helpful It was very unwelcoming we will not step foot in there again
Spooky and cute. Fringe events are in separate room, not in the bar like we expected.Parking: They say free parking lot in the back but it's a paid lot.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4